Television viewers often change the channel they are viewing. In some television systems, such as an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) system, completing a channel change may involve initiating a transmission of media content (e.g., audio and video content) associated with the new channel. Thus, changing channels may increase a total amount of bandwidth consumed by the user. Because available bandwidth is limited, a channel change may not be available or may not be desirable due to bandwidth limitations. When a channel change request fails due to system bandwidth limitations, users may be frustrated (e.g., by viewing a blank television screen).